A look back at the week that was in the National Hockey League...
Carter to Los Angeles:
Trades are happening. Sure, the biggest and most rumoured of all trades – Rick Nash from Columbus to…well, somewhere – hadn’t happened, but there is the usual wheeling and dealing that ranges from interesting to exciting.
Although Nash remains in Ohio, the Blue Jackets did deal away high-profile off-season acquisition Jeff Carter to the Los Angeles Kings in return for the talented but often underwhelming D Jack Johnson, as good an offensive defenceman as there’s ever been in Columbus, and a conditional pick.
It’s a solid trade for both teams. LA desperately needs some offense, and there aren’t many better guys in the league for kick-starting a scoring spree than the former Flyer, Carter, who will be reunited with old buddy Mike Richards out west. Remember, if the rumours were/are true, it was their partying ways and a refusal to commit to drinking no alcohol during the season that saw them shipped out of Philadelphia.
Carter will be a good fit in LA. The Kings need something to get their offense going. It’s the worst in the league, which is insane when you look at their roster, which includes such names as Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Dustin Brown. Add Carter to that number, get them all fired up, and with spectacular goaltending from the superb Jonathan Quick, they’ll shake the Western Conference tree come playoffs.
As for Columbus, they are getting rid of a malcontent, and I can’t imagine that there’ll be many in C-Bus who aren’t happy to see the sulking Carter go. He never really got over the fact that he’d been traded out of Philly in the offseason, and really didn’t give the long-suffering Jackets fans much at all. Now, the rebuild begins – AGAIN – in Columbus. This season, one which started with a whole lot of promise for the Blue Jackets, has fallen apart quickly and horribly.
Carter to Los Angeles:
Trades are happening. Sure, the biggest and most rumoured of all trades – Rick Nash from Columbus to…well, somewhere – hadn’t happened, but there is the usual wheeling and dealing that ranges from interesting to exciting.
Although Nash remains in Ohio, the Blue Jackets did deal away high-profile off-season acquisition Jeff Carter to the Los Angeles Kings in return for the talented but often underwhelming D Jack Johnson, as good an offensive defenceman as there’s ever been in Columbus, and a conditional pick.
It’s a solid trade for both teams. LA desperately needs some offense, and there aren’t many better guys in the league for kick-starting a scoring spree than the former Flyer, Carter, who will be reunited with old buddy Mike Richards out west. Remember, if the rumours were/are true, it was their partying ways and a refusal to commit to drinking no alcohol during the season that saw them shipped out of Philadelphia.
Carter will be a good fit in LA. The Kings need something to get their offense going. It’s the worst in the league, which is insane when you look at their roster, which includes such names as Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Dustin Brown. Add Carter to that number, get them all fired up, and with spectacular goaltending from the superb Jonathan Quick, they’ll shake the Western Conference tree come playoffs.
As for Columbus, they are getting rid of a malcontent, and I can’t imagine that there’ll be many in C-Bus who aren’t happy to see the sulking Carter go. He never really got over the fact that he’d been traded out of Philly in the offseason, and really didn’t give the long-suffering Jackets fans much at all. Now, the rebuild begins – AGAIN – in Columbus. This season, one which started with a whole lot of promise for the Blue Jackets, has fallen apart quickly and horribly.
Offense:
What a wild week it’s been, seemingly Hat Trick Central. Before departing Columbus for the West Coast, Jeff Carter notched his second 3-goal game of the season, helping the Blue Jackets dismantle San Jose 6-3, a rare display of what the team in red, blue and white can do when they put their minds – and skates – to the task.
Then it was Evgeni Malkin’s turn. In Pittsburgh, that kid is top of the heap and his MVP-calibre form doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Whatever Carter can do, Malkin can do better. The Pens’ greatest asset who isn’t named Sidney Crosby scored three goals in Pittsburgh’s 8-1 rout of Tampa Bay on Saturday. One of his goals is a definite candidate for Goal of the Year. All around the league, people are starting to realise that he can’t be stopped.
Out west a few hours later, Dustin Brown, the subject of trade rumours, too, had a four-point game (3G, 1A) to help the Kings celebrate Jeff Carter’s arrival in town with a 4-0 victory against Chicago. It was a nice taste of what Los Angeles can do when they get on track. As I wrote earlier, if they get on track like that on a consistent basis, watch out!
Sunday, the offensive landslide continued. Tampa Bay got on the right end of a hat trick. Their old warrior, Martin St Louis, still one of the best, most explosive players in the NHL, had three goals and an assist – he had a hand in every one of the goals that the Lightning scored – as Tampa rebounded from a drubbing in the best possible way, taking the 4-3 decision against a surprisingly good New Jersey team.
The Streak:
Detroit’s streak of 23 straight home wins is over. What a run it was. Truth be told, though, I’m surprised that it lasted so long. I mean, Columbus beating San Jose 6-3 during the week is proof enough that in today’s NHL, strange things can happen on any given night. That the Red Wings managed to string twenty-three straight wins together at the Joe Louis Arena is even more incredible when you consider the fickle nature of the league.
The way Detroit were winning games late in their run were almost mythical, and it’s added to the legend of The Streak. Big props to Joey MacDonald, who carried the team to a couple of wins during his time subbing for the injured Jimmy Howard. Oh yeah, and there’s that guy Pavel Datsyuk. If you want to win a game at the death, put the puck on that man’s stick and, more often than not, you’re going to come away with the W.
Chicago:
The Blackhawks are too good to be as bad as they are at the moment. Their biggest problem is in goals. Someone in the front office at the United Centre needs to decide on which goalie gives them the best chance to win a game in the near – Stanley Cup playoffs – future, be it anointed starter Corey Crawford or the backup, Ray Emery. A decision needs to be made soon, before the ‘Hawks fall out of playoff contention.
It seems obvious to me that the team should take a serious look at their goaltending situation in the offseason. Spending a bit of time in Chicago last month gave me the feeling that the confidence everyone had in Crawford when he outplayed Marty Turco last year has disappeared. I’ll say it now: long-term, Corey Crawford is not the solution between the pipes for the Chicago Blackhawks. Not if they want to win another Cup anytime soon.
What a wild week it’s been, seemingly Hat Trick Central. Before departing Columbus for the West Coast, Jeff Carter notched his second 3-goal game of the season, helping the Blue Jackets dismantle San Jose 6-3, a rare display of what the team in red, blue and white can do when they put their minds – and skates – to the task.
Then it was Evgeni Malkin’s turn. In Pittsburgh, that kid is top of the heap and his MVP-calibre form doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Whatever Carter can do, Malkin can do better. The Pens’ greatest asset who isn’t named Sidney Crosby scored three goals in Pittsburgh’s 8-1 rout of Tampa Bay on Saturday. One of his goals is a definite candidate for Goal of the Year. All around the league, people are starting to realise that he can’t be stopped.
Out west a few hours later, Dustin Brown, the subject of trade rumours, too, had a four-point game (3G, 1A) to help the Kings celebrate Jeff Carter’s arrival in town with a 4-0 victory against Chicago. It was a nice taste of what Los Angeles can do when they get on track. As I wrote earlier, if they get on track like that on a consistent basis, watch out!
Sunday, the offensive landslide continued. Tampa Bay got on the right end of a hat trick. Their old warrior, Martin St Louis, still one of the best, most explosive players in the NHL, had three goals and an assist – he had a hand in every one of the goals that the Lightning scored – as Tampa rebounded from a drubbing in the best possible way, taking the 4-3 decision against a surprisingly good New Jersey team.
The Streak:
Detroit’s streak of 23 straight home wins is over. What a run it was. Truth be told, though, I’m surprised that it lasted so long. I mean, Columbus beating San Jose 6-3 during the week is proof enough that in today’s NHL, strange things can happen on any given night. That the Red Wings managed to string twenty-three straight wins together at the Joe Louis Arena is even more incredible when you consider the fickle nature of the league.
The way Detroit were winning games late in their run were almost mythical, and it’s added to the legend of The Streak. Big props to Joey MacDonald, who carried the team to a couple of wins during his time subbing for the injured Jimmy Howard. Oh yeah, and there’s that guy Pavel Datsyuk. If you want to win a game at the death, put the puck on that man’s stick and, more often than not, you’re going to come away with the W.
Chicago:
The Blackhawks are too good to be as bad as they are at the moment. Their biggest problem is in goals. Someone in the front office at the United Centre needs to decide on which goalie gives them the best chance to win a game in the near – Stanley Cup playoffs – future, be it anointed starter Corey Crawford or the backup, Ray Emery. A decision needs to be made soon, before the ‘Hawks fall out of playoff contention.
It seems obvious to me that the team should take a serious look at their goaltending situation in the offseason. Spending a bit of time in Chicago last month gave me the feeling that the confidence everyone had in Crawford when he outplayed Marty Turco last year has disappeared. I’ll say it now: long-term, Corey Crawford is not the solution between the pipes for the Chicago Blackhawks. Not if they want to win another Cup anytime soon.
Oh, hey! Those Patrick Kane for Ryan Miller fantasies look less and less like a fantasy with every bad ‘Hawks goaltending effort.
Phoenix:
Much maligned for most of their existence, the Phoenix Coyotes are suddenly 10-0-1 in the month of February and after their impressive road victory against a rising Edmonton on Saturday afternoon sit alone in first place in the Pacific Division. This is a team playing really good hockey at the moment, thanks in large part to their goalie, Mike Smith, who has quietly rattled off ten straight wins. This is another team in the West who could do some real damage. I really hope that the Coyotes can do a deal that keeps the team in Glendale.
Random Stat:
The (my) New York Rangers are 8-1 on the season when Brandon Prust, a lightning rod for the team, has a fight in the first two minutes of the game. Man, he did some good work against Buffalo’s horribly over-matched Paul Gaustad yesterday. Visor be damned, he laid some solid blows. No guy in their right mind should want to take on Pruster. The man is a beast.
Phoenix:
Much maligned for most of their existence, the Phoenix Coyotes are suddenly 10-0-1 in the month of February and after their impressive road victory against a rising Edmonton on Saturday afternoon sit alone in first place in the Pacific Division. This is a team playing really good hockey at the moment, thanks in large part to their goalie, Mike Smith, who has quietly rattled off ten straight wins. This is another team in the West who could do some real damage. I really hope that the Coyotes can do a deal that keeps the team in Glendale.
Random Stat:
The (my) New York Rangers are 8-1 on the season when Brandon Prust, a lightning rod for the team, has a fight in the first two minutes of the game. Man, he did some good work against Buffalo’s horribly over-matched Paul Gaustad yesterday. Visor be damned, he laid some solid blows. No guy in their right mind should want to take on Pruster. The man is a beast.
No comments:
Post a Comment